Legendary
by littlefiction
Summary: Sitting outside his father's office, waiting for him to come home, Sesshoumaru remembers a time when he was still a pup, when he accused his father of not existing. ONESHOT


Disclaimer: I do not own Inu Yasha or related stuff, Rumiko Takahashi does.

A/N: Edited! One grammar mistake corrected and a return to my usual format. Using italics for the flashback just wasn't working for me. The story is the same, however, so if you understood it the first time there's no need to read it twice.

Warning: Very short story!

Legendary 

…Flashback…

Sesshoumaru felt someone shaking him awake.

"Wake up, Pup!" Said a strong, masculine voice, accompanied by a vaguely familiar scent.

"…Don't wanna…" he mumbled.

"Did that sound like a request? Let me clear things up for you. Get up!" One sharp push and Sesshoumaru rolled off his futon with a yelp. "Awake yet, Pup?"

Sesshoumaru growled irritably, while trying to disentangle himself from his impossibly long and fluffy fur. The Inu no taisho chuckled .

"Don't worry Pup, you'll grow into it. I had the same problem when I was growing up."

"You were never a puppy."

"Of course I was."

"How can you have been a puppy when you don't exist?"

"What?"

"How-" Sesshoumaru started, with the tone of one explaining something very simple to someone very stupid.

"That's a serious accusation, pup. Where is your evidence."

"You aren't possible. Nobody is that strong, everyone has a weakness."

"I have a weakness, pup, I just don't advertise it."

"And," He continued, as though his father hadn't said anything at all, "You're almost never here, and when you are here, you act all immortal and stuff. You just aren't possible. Nobody is that worldly. And besides, everyone always talks about how kind and noble you are, but you make mama sad and you leave me with a mean Sensei, and go away for a long, long time so that sometimes I don't even remember what you look like, and-"

"You don't think I exist."

"I know you don't."

"Well then, if I don't exist, how can you see me, and hear me?"

"Sensei."

"What?"

"It's really Sensei. He made you up to keep mama from marrying and bringing a new leader, and to keep me working hard in my studies. But you don't fool me. And you don't have to. I'll work hard like I'm supposed to, so Mama will have something to be happy about."

For the first time in many centuries, Inu no taisho didn't know what to sat. His own pup was accusing him of not existing. How could he fix this?

"Tell me, Pup, what is you're general test for whether something is real?"

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes, bit his lower lip, and thought hard about this question, before answering simply, "My nose."

"What about it?"

Sesshoumaru thought again.

"You can see things that aren't there, and you can hear things that aren't there, but if you can smell something, odds are it's real."

"Tell me, pup, can you smell me?"

Sesshoumaru sniffed. "Yes!" He said firmly, with a hard nod of his head.

"Well then, do I exist?"

"No!" He said, with an equally firm shake of his head. Inu no taisho sighed.

"Now what's wrong?"

"Just because you are something, doesn't mean you are what you say you are. You are something, but what you say you are does not exist."

"How can I prove that I am what I say I am?"

"You can't. You don't exist."

"But-"

"No buts. I'm sleepy. I'm going to bed now." Sesshoumaru curled up on the bed, wrapping his fur around himself tightly, the end of it twitching and flicking with frustration, and that's when the older demon smelled it- saltwater. He patted his son's back gently.

"Don't cry, Pup, I-"

"'M not." He pouted, his voice muffled by his own fur.

"Sesshoumaru…"

"'M sleep"

"Sesshoumaru, sit up."

"'M"

"Now, pup." Sesshoumaru tried to wipe his eyes discreetly as he sat up, but his father noticed. "Now listen to me. I'm sorry that I'm not around enough, and I'm sorry that I worry your mother sometimes, and I'm sorry we don't spend more time bonding, but I am real, and I'll always be there for you when you need me. Ok?"

"Ok, father."

"Good. Now, get some sleep." Inu no taisho kissed his son's forehead and tucked him in.

…End Flashback…

Myoga hopped quickly over to his master's son. "Master Sesshoumaru!"

"Myoga." He said, without looking at him.

"I bring great news from your father!"

"The enemy retreats and will soon surrender," Sesshoumaru said in a monotone, "the war is coming to a close and we will soon have a greatly expanded territory."

"Word for word, how did you know?"

"Because, Myoga, he is not here to tell me himself, so either he sent you to tell me he triumphed but isn't coming home or you regret to inform me he fell and isn't coming home."

"He… he misses you, you know."

"I'm sure." He said sarcastically, walking away from the door to his father's study, where he had been sitting for several days straight. He stopped at a bend in the hallway and muttered darkly, "It's ironic, isn't it? All that time he spent trying to convince me of his existence, and now I can't get him to acknowledge mine."

…End Story…


End file.
